Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conveyor, more particularly to an apparatus for adjusting conveyor belt tracking and tension with the drive mechanism.
Discussion of the Prior Art
Conveyor belts have a tendency during operation to move sideways on the rollers which support them. This is especially pronounced in the case of short, wide belts but present in all belts, short or long, wide or narrow. This cross-tracking can cause uneven wear and excess tension on the belt. Additionally, the belt can rub against supporting structure and become damaged. Furthermore, items carried on the crosstracking conveyor belt may not follow a desired path. This, of course, is disruptive if the conveyor is feeding products into a wrapping machine or the like where the items must line up properly at the end of the conveyor belt path.
There have been various methods related to sensing and adjusting the tracking of conveyor systems particularly in reprographic apparatus. These methods often have servo control arrangements such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,417 to Joseph et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,372 to Rajagopal. Adjusting of belt tracking is generally limited to adjusting the drive roller or a special tracking roller. The tracking roller is often located on the exterior of the belt path along with an additional drive or take-up roller. It is also common to reverse bend the belt around a second drive roller to increase belt tension. The additional roller reverse bending increases the tension and wear on the belt. This exterior position and reverse bending makes changing belts difficult and may require the use of tools to remove the belt.
Therefore, what is needed is a conveyor belt tracking and drive mechanism for conveyor belt systems which has the drive and tracking mechanism all in one unit.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a conveyor belt tracking and drive mechanism for belt conveyor systems which uses the main drive as the tracking element.
It is another object of the invention to provide a self contained belt tension control on the interior of the belt path.
Yet another object of the invention is to allow highly precise manual adjustment of the belt tracking
Still another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor belt tracking and drive mechanism which allows easy removal and replacement of the conveyor belt.
Another object is to increase belt life by having minimal necessary tension to drive the belt.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide for self adjusting of the belt tension due to the load conveyed
Still another object of the invention is to provide proper tension adjustment of a light duty belt so it can handle a heavy load without breaking.